The Public Protection Division undertakes enforcement activity in relation to Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Licensing, and Community Safety matters to protect the public, legitimate business and the environment from harm.
We aim to promote the health, safety, social and economic well being of the public and environmental conditions by regulation, information, licensing, advice and action. We also aim to assist legitimate business in meeting their legal obligations within a fair, competitive marketplace.
We will encourage people to comply with the law with the above interests in mind and when these are undermined, and there are legal powers to take action, we will use them.
The use of these legal powers is termed 'enforcement' and this includes helping our customers get things right in the first place through education and advice and serving notices requiring people to carry out certain actions, to prosecution which could result in fines, imprisonment and other penalties.
Please go to our Prosecutions page for details of those individuals and businesses we have recently taken to court.